A Decent Proposal
by PrincessBellePrinceAdam
Summary: When Artemis returns from her undercover mission, Wally has something important to ask her.


A Decent Proposal

Artemis paced the room, feeling quite like the animal she had chosen as her code name. She was tired of being confined to this tiny room in the Watchtower. The blonde archer was so frustrated that she wanted to scream.

She wasn't _really_ confined to the room. The door was unlocked. She could go at any time. But, as Batman had advised, it would look better for her "case" to stay where the League could observe her actions. And since Artemis believed that the ends justified the means, she would stay in the room.

But just because she'd agreed to stay didn't mean she had to like it.

The door opened with a _whooshing_ sound. Artemis's attention snapped to the entryway immediately. She was hoping to see the familiar scowl she associated with Batman, come to tell her the League had made a decision. Instead, she saw Wally.

Which, Artemis decided as she crossed the room to him, was a very good second.

Wally's arms wrapped around her. Artemis closed her eyes in an attempt to savor the moment. She'd hardly seen him since the last battle with the Light. And of course, before that they'd been separated for nearly six months. So yeah, she had _missed _the speedster.

But like everything, the embrace eventually came to an end. Wally's green gaze looked her over carefully as Artemis took a step backwards from him. He was probably trying to see if she had any injuries or permanent damage. Artemis waited as patiently as she could manage to while Wally ascertained that she was, in fact, perfectly fine.

"Any official word on what they're going to do to me yet?" Artemis asked as she settled in on the small bed the League had provided her with. Wally plopped down beside her and shook his head. Artemis let out an annoyed grunt and punched the pillow.

Wally had the grace to look sympathetic, at least. "I know, babe," he murmured. Artemis felt one of her boyfriend's freckled hands weave itself into her hair. He combed through it gently. It was one of his go-to moves for calming her down.

The blonde heroine forced herself to take a couple of deep breaths. Then she looked over at Wally. The speedster halted his comforting gesture. "Tell me what you do know," she implored.

"It's not much," the speedster replied with a touch of regret in his tone. "I know that Ollie and Dinah are definitely going to go to bat for you. So is Uncle Barry. They're arguing that what you did was a good thing and that you deserve to be praised, not punished."

Ollie and Dinah defending her was not a surprise to Artemis. But Barry sticking up for her kind of was. Yes, he was Wally's uncle and she'd known him for years, but it wasn't like she was close to him. She could count the number of real conversations she'd had with him on her hands and still have fingers left over. She smiled a little in spite of the admittedly dire situation she'd gotten herself into.

"But what is the other side saying?" she wanted to know. She had a good idea, but it was only a hunch. A confirmation would be nice. At the very least, it would give her something to go by.

Wally's gaze flitted away, as if he were ashamed of the answer. "None of the other League members are denying that you being undercover was a good thing. Without you and Kaldur on the inside, that fight would have gone a lot differently. But what the other members are saying is that you went about it in the wrong way. They aren't happy that they weren't in on it, basically."

"It was dangerous enough with only the four of us knowing!" the archer exploded. "If I could have let the other Leaguers in on it, I would have. I hated having to lie to everyone. I mean, Ollie and Dinah have always treated me like I'm family and _this_ is how I repay them? Do people really think it would have been better for them to know?"

The speedster still looked at her with sympathy. "You're preaching to the choir, Artemis," Wally told her in a tired voice. "And I wouldn't worry about Dinah and Ollie. They'll forgive you. I know it." The redhead cracked a smile, "And then Ollie will probably throw you a welcome back party. That man loves to party."

Artemis tried to smile back, but she couldn't do it in a convincing way. She sighed and then leaned against him heavily. His arm wound around her tight. Artemis's gray gaze locked on Wally's green one. "I want to go home, Wally," she said in a softer tone than the one she'd been using previously.

Wally cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her face towards him. His lips pressed against hers for just a moment. Then the redhead pulled away. Wally rested his forehead against Artemis's. "I know you do," he breathed.

Though the archer wasn't usually the type of girl to be swayed by gentle touches and tender words, she had to admit that it was nice. She decided to give in for the moment. The blonde heroine managed a slightly more convincing half smile for her boyfriend and drew away from his hold. She stretched out on the bed. Wally followed suit. The redhead draped his arm loosely over her waist.

"This is kind of nice," she murmured. "Though it would be better if I weren't being investigated by the Justice League for treason," she added. Wally chuckled quietly. Then Artemis asked, "Will you talk to me until I fall asleep?" That was something Wally always did whenever he thought she needed some extra comfort.

So the speedster obliged. He told her how their dog Nelson had a thing for a poodle at the dog park and that he chased the poor pooch every time they came into contact. He told her all about how he was sure he'd have to repeat some classes because he had been too worried about her to study and concentrate during lectures. And he told her how much he had missed her.

By the time Wally had finished, Artemis felt pretty sleepy. Her boyfriend paused in his retelling of everything that had happened during their separation, he must have thought she was asleep because he kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Artemis," the redhead whispered.

"I'm still awake," she mumbled sleepily. "Keep talking. Tell me anything. You can even talk about that Dr. Who show you're always blabbing about."

There was another pause. Then Wally offered in a slightly hesitant voice, "How about I talk about a wedding?"

"Perfect." The archer gave him a gentle push so that he lay flat on his back. She pressed herself even closer to him, her head resting on his chest and the fingers of her right hand splayed across his abdomen. "Who's getting married?"

Wally chuckled again. If Artemis had been more awake, she would have noticed that his laugh sounded more than a little nervous. "That's just it," he said, "because I was thinking it could be us."

A third pause while the redhead waited for the sleepy heroine to process his proposal. When she did realize what he meant, she sat up immediately. Any thought she had had of sleep was long gone. "What?" Artemis questioned in shock.

Wally sat up as well. "Let me explain," he said hastily. Artemis felt some of the heat leave her face. She looked at him with narrowed eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest. It was a clear indication that he wasn't going to have a whole lot of time to explain.

The speedster did not miss this. "It's just…I know you were the one who put your life on the line. I'm not denying that. You're amazing for doing it, not to mention selfless and brave. But I don't think you know how hard it was for me. I couldn't sleep; I could hardly eat. I was worried all the time. I fought with Dick. Having you gone made me _crazy_.

"I know this probably won't be the last time one of us has to do an undercover mission. And I just thought that the next time it happens, I…I want you to be my wife." By the time Wally got to the last sentence, his voice had taken on a pleading tone.

"You want to get married," Artemis repeated flatly. "But we can't."

A mix of emotions crossed Wally's face, among them hurt and anger. "Why not?" he demanded. "You're going to tell me that in five years of being with me, you never once thought about marrying me?"

"Of course I did!" Artemis shot back. Her tone had lost its flatness and was starting to rise. "You don't date someone for five years and not think about settling down with them someday. But not _now_, Wally. Not now."

Not wanting to alienate him completely, the blonde heroine reached out and gently cupped Wally's cheek in her callused hand. His eyes softened and he moved his hand to cover hers.

Artemis could tell that she had his attention. She added, "I want our marriage to be something worth celebrating. I don't want it to happen now in the middle of all this insanity and while everyone is taking sides. I want everyone we love to be there. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

"It could take years for all of this to get sorted out," Wally said quietly. "It doesn't have to be fancy. It can just be me, you, and whoever we find who has the license to marry us. _Please_, Artemis?"

The blonds girl removed her hand from Wally's face. She closed the space between them, pressing her face into his shoulder and holding him tight. She was quiet for a long time. Then she said, "I love you, Wally. And I do want to marry you someday. But it's _not_ just about us. Don't you want your parents to be there? Barry and Iris? My mom? Ollie and Dinah? Our friends?"

He made a noise of protest, but Artemis continued to talk. "Megan's probably had our wedding planned since before we even started dating. She probably has a puffy princess dress picked out for me, too. And he'd never say so, but I think it would break Ollie's heart if he didn't get to give me away at my wedding. I want to celebrate in better times, not in the middle of what might be a Justice League civil war."

Finished with her spiel, Artemis let go of him and pulled back to see his reaction. To her surprise, a grin had formed on the speedster's face. "That was quite a speech, even if you did repeat the line about celebrating when things are better from earlier." Artemis rolled her eyes. "But you did make some good points," he conceded. "And I'll agree to wait for awhile. But I want to put a cap on the waiting period. I want to marry you a year from now, even if things haven't turned around. Let's face it; if it's not better by then it will never be. So…deal?"

"Deal."

And Wally kissed her, really kissed her. She had missed this. Then Artemis broke the kiss and smirked at him. "So Romeo, you got a ring for me?"

"I knew I was forgetting something," Wally replied in a joking tone. But he smiled and said, "Of course I have a ring. I'll give it to you when we get home."

Artemis returned the little smile. Then the archer yawned. The lack of sleep was seriously starting to get to her. She lay down on the bed once more. "Can we go to sleep now?"

He didn't answer her, but he did lie beside her. Wally draped his arm over her waist again. Artemis felt him take a section of her blonde hair and gently twist it around his finger like he always did during lazy afternoon naps like this one.

She was almost asleep for the second time when she heard Wally say, "While I've got you here, let's talk about kids…"


End file.
